This playoff chase isn’t big enough for the two of them - which is fine, because, by the end of the night, one of them probably won’t be in it anymore.

There’s that much at stake this evening when the Edmonton Oilers and Phoenix Coyotes, both gasping for air in the deep Western Conference water, face off for a two-point life preserver at Rexall Place.

Whoever grabs it stays alive in the playoff race and whoever leaves empty handed will almost certainly be sleeping with the fishes.

“The importance of this game is monstrous,” said Oilers head coach Ralph Krueger. “It’s all we’re thinking about. We’re not looking beyond it or at what happened on the last road trip.

“We want to focus on getting these points and waking up tomorrow with 41.”

Forty one points would put Edmonton two back of the eighth place Detroit Red Wings. A loss would leave them in 12th, four points and four teams out of eighth, with just eight games left to play.

Pretty much do or die.

“This isn’t a pretty situation, it’s a roll up your sleeves and battle situation,” said Krueger. “It’s the one-on-one battles that will add up to who the winner is tonight.”

The Oilers climbed to eighth after winning five games in a row and beating Calgary 8-2 last weekend, but any breathing room they had vanished after three straight losses to Vancouver, Los Angeles and Anaheim.

Now they’re in must-win mode for the rest of the season.

“We were there three games ago,” said Dubnyk. “Nothing’s changed. We’re disappointed with how it turned out and where we’re sitting right now, but at the same time we still have a chance.”

Tonight is the first of seven home games during this final nine-game stretch. Adrenaline and crowd noise might help their cause.

“We see a lot of opportunity here, there’s 18 points on the table and 14 of those potentially here at home,” said Krueger. “We all know the opportunity that’s there if we can be a strong home team. It has to stay small. We know there’s seven in nine, but right now it’s one and one.”

The Coyotes are a point ahead of Edmonton in the standings, but have struggled mightily on the road (one win in their last nine games, four regulation wins in their last 18).

But they need this one as badly as Edmonton, so expect a fight.

“We’ve got ourselves in this hole and the only way we’re going to have a chance is if we turn our road record around,” said Coyotes coach Dave Tippett, whose club has been shut out in five of its last eight road losses.

“Their mind-set is the exact same as ours; we’re trying to get to the playoffs and we’re both a few points out. Call it a pre-playoff game, call it whatever you want to call it, the importance of the game is magnified for both teams.”

Playoff hopes of both the Edmonton Oilers and the Phoenix Coyotes rest on a win

This playoff chase isn’t big enough for the two of them - which is fine, because, by the end of the night, one of them probably won’t be in it anymore.

There’s that much at stake this evening when the Edmonton Oilers and Phoenix Coyotes, both gasping for air in the deep Western Conference water, face off for a two-point life preserver at Rexall Place.

Whoever grabs it stays alive in the playoff race and whoever leaves empty handed will almost certainly be sleeping with the fishes.